Nationwide Children’s Hospital congratulates Jaimie D. Nathan, MD, on a significant milestone in an advanced procedure known as a total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT). Dr. Nathan performed his 100th TPIAT on September 19, 2023.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Nationwide Children’s Hospital congratulates Jaimie D. Nathan, MD, on a significant milestone in an advanced procedure known as a total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT). Dr. Nathan performed his 100th TPIAT on September 19, 2023.
TPIAT is a pioneering surgical intervention aimed at relieving debilitating pain in children and adolescents with acute recurrent or chronic pancreatitis. Nationwide Children’s is one of only a few children’s hospitals that provide this service.
“Dr. Nathan’s achievement reaffirms his position as the most experienced board-certified pediatric surgeon in the United States performing TPIATs,” said Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD, Surgeon-in-Chief at Nationwide Children’s. “The work of Dr. Nathan and associated care teams exemplifies the Nationwide Children’s mission of helping children from across the United States and around the world.”
“This is a milestone in my career, but more importantly, it signifies the numerous lives we have positively impacted by providing this unique, complex procedure,” said Dr. Nathan. “Each procedure represents a step towards further improving quality of life for children with debilitating pancreatitis.”
The patient, 11-year-old Alayne Aymond, and her family came to Nationwide Children’s from their home in Bunkie, Louisiana. Alayne was diagnosed with pancreatitis when she was four years old and was experiencing severe pain and nausea daily up until her date of surgery. The 12-hour operation took place on September 19. Afterwards, she was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit followed by an inpatient stay until her release date of October 4.
“Patients like Alayne are excellent candidates for TPIAT,” said Dr. Nathan. “In most cases, these children have been experiencing abdominal pain for more than six months with tremendous impact on their quality of life, causing them to miss school and having fun with their family and friends. TPIAT can help them return to a pain-free childhood and allow them to participate in normal activities of a child.”
TPIAT occurs in two stages: First, the removal of the pancreas, spleen and part of the duodenum, followed by reconstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. Secondly, insulin-producing islet cells are isolated from the diseased pancreas, and returned to the patient by infusion into the liver via the portal vein. The islets engraft in the liver, where they can carry on their role of insulin secretion.
Successful islet isolation is essential for best outcomes and can be challenging in young patients. This underscores the need for an islet isolation team with advanced experience, like that available at Nationwide Children’s, home to one of the nation’s only children’s hospital with a dedicated on-site islet isolation facility. The islet isolation team is led by Balamurugan Appakalai, PhD, who is one of the world’s most experienced pancreatic islet isolation experts. The program is recognized as an NIH-funded Islet Isolation Center (IIC) within the Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP), which facilitates diabetes and metabolism research through distribution of isolated human islets. The select group of recognized centers includes only those demonstrating the highest level of experience and quality output.
In addition, Nationwide Children’s is one of only a few pediatric centers in the country performing TPIAT that is recognized by the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) as both a Clinical and Academic Center of Excellence.
About Nationwide Children's Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.